Brentford recorded that marvellous 2-0 win at Loftus Road knowing that three points against Fulham on Friday night will move us into the play-off places. That said, one can’t fail to have noticed long time pacesetters Huddersfield go down 5-0 at the Cottage on Saturday – could things be tougher for the Bees this time around? That result was one mirrored at Brighton where Norwich City were obliterated whilst Newcastle stay top after easing past Preston by the odd goal in three. At the bottom (copy/paste) it is still Wigan, Blackburn and Rotherham who make up the final three although a late winner for The Latics has also dragged Cardiff City towards the relegation places.

That’s the latest Championship action in nutshell. Yet there has been so much more going on in the division and beyond. In the latest edition of our regular, weekly feature we look back at those things you might have missed from the world of social media. That said, there’s only one place to start – the last fall out from the victory at QPR. It was a victory that their fans haven’t taken too well – these just two of the many.

From the Brentford perspective, fans, players and club staff were in high spirits going in to the weekend. With even ‘official’ now joining in the with their own social media round up (welcome to the party) , you may have seen some of these already. But, as is noted, some things can be viewed again and again…..

One final thought from the QPR game. Good omens. Regular readers to these pages may be familiar with comments about a lucky shirt (black, third, 2015/16, this year) or magic pants (spiderman) but it seems there is something that transcends all of these. Or, should I say, someone…

The legend that is Marcus Gayle. Specifically, when he is sitting alongside Mark Burridge in the Beesplayer commentary box.

That’s some record. Having been present for Ipswich, Forest, Preston and QPR our commentator par-excellence has shared the great news that Marcus is back on Friday night. Brentford have already made it 10 points from a possible 12 against Fulham in the last two seasons. Could his presence be the final inspiration for 13 from 15?

Four wins but on the other hand, I’m sure it’s bigger than that

One final piece of Brentford feed refers back to the scandal revealed earlier in the week – namely that of Barnsley claiming victory in the half-time mascot race between Toby Tyke, Buzz and Buzzette. Whilst ‘official’ are yet to make any statement on the club site, as ever Twitter is the place to be where a voice from the club marketing team has made itself heard…..

Ok. Marcello Trotta. We know what happened. Everybody has seen ‘that penalty’ Haven’t we? Oddly, most YouTube footage seems to have removed the ‘tussle’ between him and King Kev that preceded the eventual outcome although this fan shot efforts still captures it in part.

It still doesn’t get any easier viewing

So guess what happened when his Crotone side came up against Chievo in Italy’s Serie A at the weekend. Yes, another penalty and another…well, you see what happened.

And it seems this is a global crackdown. As if showboating was bad enough, don’t think ’twerking’ is exempt either. I’ll leave you with this attempt from former Norwich City player Kei Kamara to channel his inner Miley….

Former Norwich striker Kei Kamara was given a yellow card for twerking in the MLS last night! The game's gone…pic.twitter.com/b3nJh3Pw72

What can you say? Brentford are on tour and normal service has resumed. Whilst the eyes of the world may have been focussed on Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears as Portugal upset France to win Euro2016, over in Germany it was tears of pain and laughter as the annual singing contest for new players and staff got underway. Peter Gilham has published his latest diary although I note that this season it has been rebranded as a blog (don’t sink this low, Peter 😉 ). And we have the latest entrants into the photo caption competition that’s not a competition but just a bit of fun.

The annual singing competition is back – judging sure to be tough

First up, singing. Actually, first up, hats off to Brentford ‘official’. Yes, you DID read that correctly. I make no secret of some previous observations but, likewise, full credit must be paid where it is due. And , I have to say, coverage of the training camp has been nothing short of excellent. The photographs, the updates, the videos, the use of social media and , of course, the ever popular tour diary/blog.

At a time when it might be trickier than normal to keep fans engaged, quite the opposite has been done. For me, the highlight has been the singing videos – goalkeeper Daniel Bentley pushing it up to 11 on the performance stakes.

Dan Bentley takes it to the next level

John Egan and Romaine Sawyers deserve full credit for effort, although its fair to say that Romaine is no Rachel Stevens. The again, who is? Results for the current round have just finished with Dan’s performance in the pool making him a runaway success and exempt from any future performance.

Not such good news for Romaine and John who, alongside Jan Holldack, get to ‘go again’. Given fans have already been afforded the chance to participate in that first round of voting, can we expect more?

Certainly, the close out to the videos suggests so as it advises : “The four worst, as voted by the players, STAFF and YOU go through to the next round. The two with the most retweets and player votes are saved….! “

As ever, #GermanyBees looks like the place to stay in touch with the action.

And finally, I must thank all those who have taken the time to come up with entries to the Last Word photo competition that’s not an actual competition, just a bit of fun. If you fancy having a go then just post a comment. We’ll keep this running for one more day but a selection of the (printable) entries received so far are below….

More great work c/o ‘The official’ Brentford social media feed

Chris Whittart : Did you see the tweet from Sam Saunders ? Winner, end of, game over

Paul Deller: Not only did I have a tenner on Griezmann first goal, I done France half time full time

Terrace Wag: When someone asked about transfer policy……

David Carney: Apparently QPR and Fulham are almost certain favourites for relegation…

Danny Billy Baynham: So do you follow this stats lark lads ?

Dave Hall : My mate down the pub said “Fulham are going up’’.

Jim Myers : And you’re telling me Fulham could have signed Griezmann ?

Last Word: I even saw one guess that we’ll be playing in red and white stripes next season.

Say what you want about Leeds United manager Steve Evans (and many have) but I’d love to know what he did to Toumani Diagouraga. Toums broke the hearts of Brentford fans when he signed for the Elland Road side last week. He was a hero on the pitch and a cult legend off it. Specifically because of his goals. Or lack of.

“Toumani scores, we’re on the pitch” went the song. Week after week after week.

“Shooooot” went the ground whenever the long legged midfielder picked up the ball anywhere within 40 yards of the opposition goal, such was our desire to see him find the back of the net.

Toumani’s last Griffin Park appearance was for Leeds on Tuesday

29 March 2013 in a 2-1 home win over Notts County was the last time he’d done it. Since that point Bees fans had to wait almost three years and 111 more games (I’m not including the 8 on loan at Porstmouth) for this most longed for event. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.

Toumani has started a new chapter in his career at Leeds United and left Griffin Park with nothing but best wishes from everybody associated with our club. Then yesterday, at around 3.40pm, it all went a bit bonkers.

With Brentford having a day off given our lack of involvement in the FA Cup, the normally close-knit Bees family was scattered. Rather than huddled on the terrace and in the stands we were out shopping, drinking, relaxing at home or even at another game. As such, we had to rely on other means to enjoy the moment together and this is where social media came to the fore.

If ever a Twitter update brought an unexpected smile to the face it was this one. With Leeds playing at Bolton Wanderers, it seemed Toumani had done the unthinkable and scored a goal.

Just 39 minutes into his full debut!

That had to be a typo. Surely? But no, my timeline then went into meltdown. Even Harlee Dean got in on the act.

Never have I seen such an outpouring of love, affection and all round good vibes directed towards another team’s player. Not to mention a fair share of good-natured banter, too.

Toums – congratulations.

Here’s the best of how Twitter reacted. And, for me (Clive), Daniel Giltinane wins it…

All good humour and, I’m sure you’ll agree, nothing but the best wishes towards our former number 20. With Alan Judge reportedly telling sources he’s going nowhere this transfer window, Brentford fans have been left very happy without even playing a game.

For now, though, we’ll leave the Last Word to the man of the moment.

Nice one Toums.

Delighted with the team performance and my goal unbelievable following 👏👏 #facup

With no game for Brentford this weekend thanks to the Leeds United fixture being brought forward, perhaps it’s time for some reflection No, please. Stay with me.

I’ve used this page to voice some quite strong feelings on several subjects in the last few weeks. The strength of the team relative to last season. The situation surrounding James Tarkowski (especially in the immediate aftermath of the Burnley game, prior to his own comments that subsequently seemed to contradict those of the club). The general vibe around the club when it comes to off-field matters. The ongoing promotion of FCM through club channels although, to be fair, the half-time parade v Walsall still annoys me an awful lot more than a chance to visit Old Trafford. Indeed, responses to yesterday’s piece on that topic were, genuinely, very interesting. And mixed.

After over 700 columns here, along with five years of writing in the programme (an ongoing hobby which is great that the club can facilitate and are happy to use), I’d like to think I’m generally ‘pro-Bees’. I’m not scared to say what I think and if the opinions of one fan can sometimes upset people then I do sympathise. But it won’t stop me.

Certainly, one recent column seems to have sent part of the GPG into meltdown (I know, I was surprised too). I’ve got no issue with this, quite the opposite. Fellow supporters like myself have every right to voice their own opinions – preferably backed up with a counter suggestion rather than simple name calling but, I guess, we’ve all got different styles.

Yesterday’s social media attack from somebody employed by the club was, I felt, a little bit unprofessional. And needless.

Absolutely , say your piece, But there’s no need to resort to petty jibes such as:

“If moaning visibly & often about everything is the definition then you’re the best football fan I know” and

“..mine (opinion) is that you moan too much about everything and miss the bigger picture’.

There were more, but you get that particular picture. All for having the temerity to sometimes voice an opinion that he and his employer might disagree with.

Which brings me full circle back to the point about ‘off-field vibe’. Nobody’s opinion is any more / less valid than anybody else’s. But cheap cracks and school yard insults in a public environment show just how wrong we continue to get it. Social Media, rather than an official club forum, isn’t a ‘get out clause’ when people are so easily identifiable with the team we all support – and advertise their role on the same platform.

Good comms are so easy. Give it a try, you might enjoy it.

Which, in a very longwinded way, brings me around to the main thrust of today’s article. I put it out on Twitter last night, ‘What to write about today?’ and the following suggestion, from Matthew Miles, was the first response.

Nice idea, which I’m going to put a slight spin on. Three things to look forward to. Of course, mine may very from yours, but in no particular order….

Firstly, as Matthew says, a rosey future awaits. Whatever my thoughts on the strength of the team relative to last campaign and our recent form (4 wins in the last 13 games), nobody can deny we remain 10th in the Championship table. That’s still a fantastic achievement if we can consolidate it. The likes of Yoann Barbet and Maxime Colin are really looking like stars of the present, let alone the future, and are the absolute standouts from the huge influx of new players – not all of whom have hit the ground running quite so easily, if we’re being honest.

If, and it is a huge if, we can hang on to the likes of Alan Judge, David Button and the entire defence (not to mention a certain Mr Saunders – don’t got to the States, terrible weather) then this team has a great base to start from next season.

Next up, and linked to that subject, Alan Judge. With just a few days to go until the transfer window officially ‘slams shut’ is there a chance we could actually keep him? Whilst the rumours have been circulating for weeks, all has now gone quiet on that front. Not even the ever-reliable Beesotted (the best font of knowledge before things become ‘official’) are talking up a potential departure. Of course, now is the squeakiest point of ‘squeaky bum’ time but the psychological impact of hanging onto a player of this nature who still has time on his contract can’t be underestimated.

Finally, Kitman Bob Oteng ! I’m loving his Twitter activity – and if you don’t follow him you should. Fast.

For all I’ve complained we don’t always hit the mark ‘off field’, this is one area where Brentford most definitely lead the pack and brush all competitors to one side.

His regular player kit ‘giveaways’, for getting the correct scorer, number of corners or something more fiendish are fast becoming the stuff of legend. Just yesterday, one lucky fan picked up Alan Judge’s boots and Jota’s shirt.

And next Friday, against Brighton, it looks like we have something very interesting lined up.

When our club get it right (and I still have a son who worships Buzz Bee after the fantastic ‘Junior Bees’ Christmas event) it makes me so proud to support them.

No sooner have Birmingham City left Griffin Park than Brentford are preparing for the next home game – a Capital One Cup tie with Felix ‘nil points’ Magath’s Fulham team on Tuesday. Whilst, no doubt, there’ll be further build up to the Fulham game in the next column, for now here’s a chance to catch up on those other things that there simply wasn’t enough space to write about following the draw with Birmingham (along with an 11th hour bonus).

My feelings on referee Robert Madley have been well documented in the past and, disappointingly, these were proven to be spot on as this fusion of Stroud, Biggar and Attwell once again showed all the decision-making ability of a tombola.

View from the terrace – David tells Madley to button it, as Tony troops off

The one positive for me is that at least I wasn’t alone in this opinion. Any thoughts of “Could it have just been me?” were dispelled with a read of Greville Waterman’s BFCtalk column on the subject. A very therapeutic piece for those of you seeing red about the card happy man in black.

Still, at least Robert wasn’t alone in having a stinker on Saturday. The BBC didn’t even have the excuse of having had to make a snap decision. I’m not sure which match their correspondent was watching but on returning home I read their website with amusement. Specifically the part of the match report that described how goalkeeper Tony Craig had been sent off – although at least substitute ‘keeper David Button had made some smart saves.

Not even West London’s leading journo called this transfer swoop (the BBC have, since, corrected)

Sunday afternoon saw a thumping 4-0 win for Tottenham against the Loftus Road mob. A four goal defeat mirrors that suffered by Fulham the day before and gives a wonderful sense of symmetery to the bottom of the Premiership and Championship tables.

The BBC have, at least, got the tables right. Enjoy

Interestingly, Monday morning sees the Daily Telegraph reporting that Fulham boss Magath only has one game left in which to hang on to his job. You can read their story, here and then think on about the significance of what that next game is….

On Saturday, rather than the traditional pre-match tub-thumping, the Last Word took things seriously (well, as serious as it gets) to talk about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Specifically, the one that had been performed by Brentford fan Natalie Sawyer (with her fellow Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen).

Not only has Matthew Benham since risen to the challenge laid down by Alan Judge but yours truly has also been on the receiving end of that icy gauntlet. Luis Adriano, fellow blogger and author (you’ll find his excellent work, Penalties, on Kindle) was the man delivering that clarion call to a charitable soaking.

I have, duly, accepted. And instantly realised three things.

1 – That a trip to the gym may be in order. Truly, the pecs have slipped.

2 – That whoever designed the Chad brand vinyl effect shorts of Brentford’s 91/92 promotion season didn’t know much about fashion. Or comfort.

3- Most importantly, that however silly you feel or look participating in this act of outdoor showering, the cause remains a noble one

Oh, there is a fourth thing. As this new found tradition dictates, I can also nominate. And so, in turn, I follow Luis Adriano’s literary line of thinking and challenge.

Billy the Bee – the face of Beesotted (please note: Beesotted has other faces)

Mark Chapman and Chris Wickham from the Brentford FC media team. You’ve read their match reports and programmes – who wouldn’t want to see the video?

So here it is. My lardy effort. Billy, Greville, Chappers and Chris – I’d love if you could accept. Given the amount of other Brentford related faces to have participated so far, think what a great spread it might make in the next programme.

Are you travelling to Blackpool tonight? Hats off to all those Brentford fans who can make what is a round trip of just about 500 miles on a school night. Moreso, just a few days after our last away game – the narrow reverse at Bournemouth.

Sadly, for yours truly, a second trip to the seaside was just one cheeky request too far that I didn’t even try and put past ‘the boss’. Away games are becoming a pleasure I slowly reacquaint myself with after my becoming a father meant a trip beyond TW8 last season was as rare as a Will Grigg goal celebration.

That said there were, and still are, plenty of ways to stay in touch with what Brentford were doing – whether before, during or after the game. And I don’t so much mean the ‘official’ club news or those deconstructed / recycled interview stories and double transfer swoop rumours that seem to account for 80% of what we could read in the local press.

Those other sources still exist and have, by and large, only got stronger. The Beesotted team clearly lead the way. Their website is regularly updated with news, reports and articles by a number of contributors whilst ‘Billy The Bee’ is a staple feature at Brentford games, conducting interviews with fans for the following day’s report.

But that’s just the start. There’s this site of course (for those of you who like your Brentford commentary a bit leftfield) whilst Greville Waterman has launched his ‘BFCtalk’ blog this season.

Greville’s really is a labour of love that touches on both the present as well as delving into the past in a series of features that, like this one, appear to have taken on a life of their own as daily updates are now the norm.

There’s even an Italian blog for those that like the continental opinion. I’m just waiting for the Spanish equivalent to now start.

Then, of course, we’ve those old favourites in the GPG or, for those who like things a bit less feisty, the Beesotted ‘Vital Football’ page.

That’s before we even get to e-books. As our reader is probably well aware, last season’s heroics have been turned into ‘Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup’ whilst Luis Adriano takes full credit for his excellent work, ‘Penalties’.

Just two of the e-books out there, right now

The very convoluted point I am trying to make in all of this is that these days there is no need to rely on those traditional sources of news – the club or the local rag. Tonight, for example, I’m going to be using radio, Sky Sports news and the multiple Twitter streams for updates.

So it was with great amusement that I read recently that the Premiership are threatening to prosecute fans for sharing goal action via social media. How they’ll police this I have no idea. Even Getty Images have given up trying to do this and now make their work available for free to bloggers.

More to the point, are they that scared of a few shaky videoclips / screengrabs that would make ‘Fancam’ look like an Oscar winner? Putting aside the licensing or greed arguments that both sides have already come out with, I’m simply approaching this from a view of ‘embracing change’.

Like it or not,social media is here to stay and people use it. I’ll still turn to legitimate sources to review the action even had I already seen a goal via ‘knock off footage’.

For me this was evident during the World Cup where ‘Vines’ kept me bang up to date on all those goals I’d missed whilst ‘coming in from work’, which I then watched in full when I finally reached the sofa.

As is evident with the written word (where, for example, Bournemouth use four or five volunteers to help make their stunning programme) there are a lot of fans out there who love the beautiful game and will do anything they can to promote it.

So, instead of going after Joe Public for sticking a clip of the TV on YouTube, it would be great if the football authorities could try something similar and work with fans.

I’m sure cash and contracts will ensure this never happens but, at the least, why not salvage their image a little bit and give off the impression of a collective who are now in the 21st Century rather than sitting, suited and booted, in some smoke filled backroom with their hands in a velvet ball bag.